Walk to Memory Lane Part 2: An Underwater Exploration

In this last series of our ‘Walk to Memory Lane’ (The first part talks about the best beaches near Sydney.), we wanted to share our experience with one of the best attractions for families in Sydney, the Sydney Aquarium. Our journey to see the various marine species of the aquarium was set last April. It was Sean’s idea to take me to this recreational attraction, which is located on Darling Harbour. At first, I was not fascinated with the idea as I, myself, have seen heaps of other life-size aquariums in other parts of Asia. Although, I am a fan of aquatic life forms, being a Biology major, I have seen a lot of them in the past through different educational trips we did when I was still a university student. Sean claimed that the species I have seen in the past were totally different from those in the Sydney Aquarium. Thus, I gave in to the idea and set foot to this underwater journey with him.

When we arrived at the place, there was a long queue of families with their young children, and foreign tourists waiting for their chance to enter the oceanarium. As we waited patiently, I have observed the young little kids were mostly excited and ecstatic to have a glimpse of this array of marine lives; while their older companions were eager to educate them about the importance of conserving and protecting these species.

The moment we started our trek to the different marine displays, I was enthralled on seeing that Sydney Aquarium has a great number of remarkable collections on several different kinds of sharks, stingrays, platypuses, dugongs and tropical fishes. Their collections are outstanding and impressive, as well as entertaining and educational to both the young and adults who were keenly roaming around the walkways of the aquatic exhibits with awe on all those wading sea-creatures.

The most memorable part of the trip for me is the opportunity to have a closer look on the sharks and the other fishes when we hop on a metal boat to one of their huge aquatic displays. In the tour, we were informed by our guide about different facts about the sea-dwelling animals and the way Sydney Aquarium is trying to conserve them. We even had the chance to feed them while aboard the boat, which I reckon, is a great experience.

Although I was reluctant to visit the place initially, it was undeniably a journey that has its worth. It opened my eyes to more things that I have not known in the past, and made me realize that there are heaps of wonders beneath our oceans that are worth seeing. Without question, Sydney Aquarium revived my passion on ecological science, and steered me back on advocating for preservation of the various aquatic or terrestrial creatures that we have today for future generations to see.

I always think that having this kind of trips for our children will always bring out their sense of appreciation of all animals. The only way we can teach them about all animals be it small or large is to expose them to trips like this.